Interview By Erwin Van Dijk

 

 

The interview with Manou from Ladies Decision.

Manou Maarhuis is the bass player from Ladies Decision. This is a all girl rock band. As many bands before them they started as cover band but today Ladies Decision has also their own songs. I did see them on stage during the Willem’s Wondere Weiland festival.

The first question: did you always wanted to become a bass player?

Well to be honest, the moment I joined Ladies Decision (by then known as 'Trash') I was only able to play two cords on my guitar. After a couple of weeks we were still looking for a female bass player and because I couldn't really play guitar that well I decided to pick up the bass. And I never regret that decision.

And what kind of bass do you use?

My bass is from "Bass Collection". I had never heard of the brand before but I really like my bass because it's very light and easy to play. When I have more money I want to buy a short scale bass.

A lot of bass players prefer a five string bass instead of a classic four string bass. Since you have a four string, have you ever though of switching over to a five string bass?

I never really thought about that before. But I only play bass for a year now and I have still a lot to learn. So I think I that I will stick with my four string for a while. And well, a good bass player just need one string right?

To what kind of music do you listen yourself: And who are your favourite musicians and bands?

The Beatles are my favourite band. I like there music and the way the influenced the whole music scene. Other bands I like to listen to are Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac and the Golden Earring. The music I'm listening depends on the way I feel, or you can say the music I'm listening influences the way I feel.

Is Ladies Decision your first band or did you have any other bands before Ladies Decision?

As I said, before Ladies Decision the only thing I could was playing two cords on a guitar. I had a lot of friends playing in bands but I never played in a band myself. So Ladies Decision was my first band, although it was called Trash when we had an other singer. When I was in Ladies Decision I had two shows with two of my best friends, Jelte Tuinstra and Willem Wits.

How did you get involved with Ladies Decision?

Nadja (Drums) and Myriam (Guitar) are sisters, just like me and Sascha (Keyboard). Our dads play together in the band Later!. Nadja and Myriam already started the band Trash and they asked me and Sascha to join.

 

 

And what is the idea behind the name of the band?

Manon (our former singer) is actually the one who came up with the name. As far as I know, she was out with some friends and had a discussion with a boy about the point that woman can’t make decisions. This is where she made up the name of the band.

Can you tell us something about the other members of Ladies Decision?

Of course I can tell something about the other members :).

Although we are just together for a year, I think I can almost write a book about the band. First of all you have my sister on keys. Before a show she has got stage fear, but when she is on stage she forgets it all and turns into a jumping beasty. The band gives her a lot more confidence.

Then you have the sisters Myriam and Nadja. During our first show (in the Stadsschouwburg in Utrecht) Myriam stood still like a wooden stick, but since the last couple of gigs she is more able to move. Nadja and Myriam have the typical love-hate relationship, what can be funny in some scenes during a rehearsal.

At the moment we have one singer, Floor. Manon left the band, so at the moment we are looking for a singer who wants to join us. Floor is, besides the singer of my band, also my roommate in Utrecht. Funny fact: she started her carrier as a banana.

Since this week Dagmar is going to check out the band. She will not perform with us on stage yet, but we hope she will join us soon as our second singer!

We all really love to make music and having fun with each other. We’re not only a band, we’re also a group of friends.

And a question about your stage outfits – it reminded me a bit of the movie Reservoir Dogs (making you ms Blue). Is there a reason why you have chosen for these outfits?

Our first gig was in the Stadsschouwburg in Utrecht, and we wanted to impress the jury with our outfits. So we pulled on some coloured panty’s, different coloured hot pants, different coloured shirts that made us look like the rainbow. After the show we decided that it was really fun, but a little extreme so after trying a couple of different outfits we are now all in a different colour (I’m the blue one!). For our next show we will put on a different outfit. It’s for us also a way to stand out.

Is song writing in Ladies Decision teamwork or is there one mastermind behind the music?

Every song is different. There are some songs we wrote together, but there are also songs the one of us has written. It depends on the context and the inspiration we have, I suppose.

What are your favourite Ladies Decision songs (covers and own work) and why?

My favourite covers we play are "Pokémon" and "We’re not gonna take it". The first one because it’s a cover I have never heard before. The second one because when we are performing this song on stage, we all are singing and jumping, it has a lot of energy.

And our own songs, well I like them all! There is one song, For You, that has a really personal story, so sometimes we are all crying on stage. On the other is Like a Fairytale one of the happiest songs I’ve ever heard.

What are the highlights with the band so far?

A highlight for me was playing on Puddingpop, a festival where we played with van Velzen, van Dik Hout and the Paris Dandies. Actually, all the shows are highlights for me.

But the biggest highlight is that the band is growing so much. Everyone is getting better and we are having so much fun all the time. It’s great to be in this band and I’m very proud of us.

And what can we expect in the future from Ladies Decision?

We will perform and have fun for a very long time. We hope to record a CD in the future and of course be famous. But the most important thing is that we stay together and like the band in two years as much as we do now!

 

Links :

Ladies Decision Official MySpace

Ladies Decision Official Site

 

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